West Cork Walks – Our weekly Itinerary for 2018
Take a Walk on the Wild side.

• Program of six walks per week, with Sunday being a rest day.
• Commencing, the first week of April, running through to the last week in October.

Bere Island: The day starts by taking the ferry from Castletownbere, a 15 minute crossing. The island holds many remnants of British imperialism visible throughout, such as martello towers, military barracks, signal tower and fortifications. Short (10km), full (24km) walks.

Dursey Island: Travel by mini bus from Castletownbere to Dursey Sound. Here a cable car, takes 6 people at a time onto the island. Seen as a main discovery point on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’. The with a population in single figures, the island is in stark contrast to that of 1943 when it held a population of 131 individuals. Here you can see the ‘Bull’, ‘Cow’ and ‘Calf’ rock, lying to the west of the island; with their many stories to tell. Short (9km), full (14km) walk. An extra 4km walk can be added via the cable-car to Garnish pier.

Garnish loop/ Allihies / Castletownbere: Travel by mini bus from Castletownbere to Dursey Sound. This trail takes us along the coastline with inlet’s and small fishing piers. Views of Kenmare bay, ‘Skellig Rocks’ and Allihies once a rich copper mining village and the man made beach of Ballydonegan. A costal trail leads us from the first to the last mining shaft excavated in the area. Returning to the village, those who wish to experience the villages “Guinness” and the copper museum, a mini bus will be scheduled to bring you back to Castletownbere. For those walking the longer distance we will continue on to Castletownbere. Short (14km), full (25km).

Ardgroom / Eyeries/ Castletownbere: A mini bus brings us from Castletownbere to our starting point. Ardgroom, where Cork and Kerry meet and rivalry is at its ardent when it comes to football. Our route starts along a ridge with views of Kenmare Bay, continuing downhill beside a long lake onto the small fishing harbour of Ballycrovane. Close by a 4.7 meter standing stone can be visited. We carry on a costal path, passing an old coastguard station. A detour is made to Ireland’s most colourful village Eyeries for lunch. Here we head up onto Miskish Mountain (380 meters) and down into Castletownbere where on the way we visit a stone circle. Short (15km), full (22km).

Castletownbere / Adrigole: Leaving the fishing town behind us we head up onto the slope of Maulin. Passing by a wedge grave and the grave of the Princess of Beara, who gave the Beara Peninsula her name. We progress onto the slopes of Hungry Hill and its rocky outcrop. Here we descend into the valley of Coomgira and its towering seasonal waterfall. Here a bus will pick us up to bring us back to Castletownbere. Short (14 km), full (24 km).

Adrigole / Glengarriff: This walk introduces you to the wildness of the Beara Mountains; from looking into Glenlough Valley to passing north side of the Sugarloaf Mountain. We ascend to a height of 500 meters eventually descending into the Coomerkane Valley; a hideout of O’Sullivan Bere and his followers prior to his epic march to Breifne, County Leitrim . Short (12km), full (18km).

A second itinerary is available in the form of a long distance trail from: Dursey to Gougane Barra, part of the ‘Beara to Breifne Way’.
 

Dursey Island: Travel by mini bus from Castletownbere to Dursey Sound. Here a cable car, takes 6 people at a time onto the island. Seen as a main discovery point on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’. The with a population in single figures, the island is in stark contrast to that of 1943 when it held a population of 131 individuals. Here you can see the ‘Bull’, ‘Cow’ and ‘Calf’ rock, lying to the west of the island; with their many stories to tell. Short (9km), full (14km) walk. An extra 4km walk can be added via the cable-car to Garnish pier.

Garnish loop/ Allihies / Castletownbere: Travel by mini bus from Castletownbere to Dursey Sound. This trail takes us along the coastline with inlet’s and small fishing piers. Views of Kenmare bay, ‘Skellig Rocks’ and Allihies once a rich copper mining village and the man made beach of Ballydonegan. A costal trail leads us from the first to the last mining shaft excavated in the area. Returning to the village, those who wish to experience the villages “Guinness” and the copper museum, a mini bus will be scheduled to bring you back to Castletownbere. For those walking the longer distance we will continue on to Castletownbere. Short (14km), full (25km).

Castletownbere / Adrigole: Leaving the fishing town behind us we head up onto the slope of Maulin. Passing by a wedge grave and the grave of the Princess of Beara, who gave the Beara Peninsula her name. We progress onto the slopes of Hungry Hill and its rocky outcrop. Here we descend into the valley of Coomgira and its towering seasonal waterfall. Here a bus will pick us up to bring us back to Castletownbere. Short (14 km), full (24 km).

Adrigole / Glengarriff: This walk introduces you to the wildness of the Beara Mountains; from looking into Glenlough Valley to passing north side of the Sugarloaf Mountain. We ascend to a height of 500 meters eventually descending into the Coomerkane Valley; a hideout of O’Sullivan Bere and his followers prior to his epic march to Breifne, County Leitrim . Short (12km), full (18km).

Glengarriff/ Kealkill: Our walk begins at Droumgarriff, 3km east of Glengarriff. Crossing the Coomnhola bridge onto the moorland known as the ‘bulls pocket’, views can be seen of Bantry Bay, Whiddy Island and Sheep’s head. Our walk finishes at ‘Carriganass Castle’, once held by the O’ Sullivan Bere as his eastern territory.

Kealkill/ Gougane Barra: This walk known as the ‘Pilgrim’s way’ leads us from Carriganass Castle to Gougane Barra. Here you will find the remains of a sixth century hermitage founded by Saint Finbarr. O’ Sullivan Bere passed by it on his march to Breifne in 1603. On the last Sunday in September, locals make this pilgrim walk know as the ‘Pattern Day’